Close Second

Chapter 5

CLOSE SECOND

Chapter 5 — The Voss Heir

Kaelan's POV

The city looked different from the top floor of Voss Tower.

Smaller.

Quieter.

Manageable.

Kaelan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cup of coffee.

Manhattan stretched beneath him.

Thousands of people moving through streets.

Millions of lives unfolding without his permission.

He preferred it from up here.

Distance made everything easier.

"Your nine o'clock meeting has been moved to nine-thirty."

Kaelan turned.

His father's executive assistant stood near the door with a tablet in her hands.

"Fine."

"Your ten-thirty meeting with the technology division is still confirmed."

"Fine."

"And your father wants you in his office afterward."

Kaelan sighed.

"Of course he does."

The assistant smiled politely.

"Anything else?"

"No."

She left.

Kaelan returned his attention to the city.

At twenty-three, he had already spent years being prepared for a life he hadn't chosen.

Business meetings.

Corporate strategy.

Financial reports.

Negotiations.

Public appearances.

Every decision had a purpose.

Every mistake had consequences.

His father called it preparation.

Kaelan called it training for a prison with better furniture.

His phone vibrated.

He checked the screen.

A message from Marcus.

MARCUS: You survived your first meeting with your future wife?

Kaelan frowned.

KAELAN: She's not my future wife.

The response came almost immediately.

MARCUS: Technically, she's your arranged future wife.

KAELAN: That's worse.

MARCUS: So? What's she like?

Kaelan hesitated.

He thought about yesterday.

The first time he'd seen Everest Calloway at university.

He'd expected someone arrogant.

Spoiled.

Perhaps even superficial.

Instead, she'd looked at him like she was already prepared to argue.

Her hazel eyes had been sharp.

Her posture confident.

And when she'd discovered they were being paired for Professor Whitfield's project, she hadn't tried to impress him.

She hadn't even seemed particularly interested in him.

That was unusual.

Most people changed around Kaelan.

They became nervous.

Overly polite.

Or overly eager.

Everest had done none of those things.

KAELAN: She's...interesting.

Marcus responded:

MARCUS: Interesting?

KAELAN: Yes.

MARCUS: That's billionaire language for "I like her."

Kaelan rolled his eyes.

He put the phone away.

He didn't like her.

He barely knew her.

Besides, he had more important things to think about.

Like tonight's match.

His phone buzzed again.

This time, the notification was from Ashfall.

He opened it.

The global rankings appeared.

GLOBAL RANKINGS

1. KAI — 9,842

2. ASHEN — 9,811

His eyes immediately went to the second name.

Ashen.

The only player who could make him work for a victory.

The only player who had ever pushed him close enough to make losing feel possible.

Kaelan smiled.

He respected Ashen.

More than any other player.

Most people assumed Kai enjoyed being number one.

They were wrong.

He enjoyed the chase.

He enjoyed the uncertainty.

And Ashen gave him that.

His phone buzzed again.

MARCUS: Tournament tonight?

KAELAN: Training.

MARCUS: You're obsessed.

KAELAN: She's good.

MARCUS: You're talking about Ashen like she's a woman you're dating.

Kaelan stared at the message.

He typed:

KAELAN: Maybe she is.

He deleted it.

Instead, he sent:

KAELAN: Get online tonight.

---

Voss Corp — Executive Floor

By eleven, Kaelan was sitting across from his father.

Damian Voss didn't waste time.

"The Calloways have confirmed the dinner."

Kaelan leaned back.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"I know."

"You'll be there."

It wasn't a question.

Kaelan's jaw tightened.

"Do I have a choice?"

Damian's expression hardened.

"Everyone has choices."

"That's not what you said yesterday."

"I said your choices have consequences."

Kaelan looked at him.

"And what happens if I say no?"

Damian was silent.

That was answer enough.

Kaelan leaned forward.

"You're threatening me."

"I'm reminding you of your responsibilities."

"Same thing."

Damian stood.

"The Calloway alliance would strengthen both companies."

"So marry Everest yourself."

His father's expression darkened.

Kaelan almost smiled.

Almost.

"You think this is funny?"

"No."

"Then act like a man who understands what's at stake."

"I understand perfectly."

"Do you?"

Kaelan stood.

"I understand that everyone in this family expects me to sacrifice whatever I want for the company."

Damian's voice lowered.

"And what exactly do you want?"

Kaelan didn't answer.

Because the truth was complicated.

He wanted freedom.

He wanted to build something of his own.

He wanted to win.

He wanted to remain number one.

And lately...

He wanted to know who Ashen really was.

"I don't know yet," he finally said.

Damian studied him.

"Then don't make decisions you'll regret."

Kaelan walked toward the door.

"That's what I'm trying to avoid."

---

That Evening

Kaelan returned home later than expected.

The Voss residence was quieter than the Calloway estate.

Still enormous.

Still luxurious.

But colder.

His mother was sitting in the living room when he entered.

Isabelle Voss looked up from her book.

"You've had a long day."

"You could say that."

She smiled.

"Your father told me."

"Of course he did."

She closed the book.

"Kaelan."

He stopped.

"You don't have to fight every battle."

"Someone has to."

She studied him.

"Is Everest Calloway one of those battles?"

Kaelan raised an eyebrow.

"You've met her?"

"Not properly."

"Then how do you know?"

"Your father has been talking about the arrangement for months."

Kaelan sighed.

"Everyone knows except me."

His mother laughed softly.

"You're not very good at pretending you don't care."

"I don't care."

She gave him a knowing look.

"Of course."

Kaelan shook his head.

He was beginning to hate that word.

Of course.

Everyone seemed to think they knew him.

His father.

His mother.

Marcus.

The board.

The entire Voss family.

But nobody actually did.

Except perhaps the one person he'd never met.

Ashen.

His phone buzzed.

He looked down.

A message.

ASHEN: Ready to lose again?

Kaelan's mouth curved into a smile.

His mother noticed.

"Who is that?"

"No one."

She raised an eyebrow.

He walked away.

---

Ashfall

The moment Kaelan put on his headset, the world disappeared.

His username appeared on the screen.

KAI — ONLINE

A notification immediately appeared.

ASHEN has entered the arena.

Kaelan's smile widened.

"Finally."

He accepted the challenge.

The match loaded.

Ashen's character appeared across from his.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then a message appeared.

ASHEN: Hope you enjoyed being #1.

Kaelan typed:

KAI: I always do.

ASHEN: Not for long.

He laughed quietly.

There was something addictive about their rivalry.

She didn't fear him.

She didn't worship his ranking.

She didn't care that he was number one.

She wanted his position.

And Kaelan respected her for it.

The countdown began.

3

2

1

FIGHT.

Their characters collided.

Fast.

Precise.

Relentless.

Every move had a counter.

Every attack had a response.

Neither gave an inch.

Kaelan's heart raced.

He couldn't remember the last time a game had made him feel this alive.

Then Ashen landed a combination he hadn't seen from her before.

His eyes widened.

"Interesting."

His health dropped.

62%.

He smiled.

She was evolving.

And that made her even more dangerous.

The match continued.

Neither knew how long they'd been fighting.

Neither cared.

Finally, the battle ended.

Kaelan stared at the result.

VICTORY — KAI

But the margin was tiny.

0.4 seconds.

He leaned back.

"That was close."

A message appeared.

ASHEN: Next time.

Kaelan typed:

KAI: I'll be waiting.

The screen went quiet.

Kaelan removed his headset.

For the first time that day, he wasn't thinking about the company.

Or his father.

Or the arranged marriage.

He was thinking about Ashen.

And somewhere across Manhattan, Everest Calloway was staring at the exact same result.

She was angry.

He was smiling.

Neither of them knew they had already spent more time together online than they had in real life.

And tomorrow, they were going to meet again.

Not as Kai and Ashen.

But as Kaelan Voss and Everest Calloway.

Neither knew which version of themselves would win.